PAIN
by McGonagall's Bola
Summary: #3 POSITIVE/NEGATIVE It had been hard saying goodbye to Speed and many things changed... DuCaine /Sequel to: NEGATIVE/ -REWRITTEN!
1. PAIN

BETA READ by _Lady Anemone_

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**WARNING:** Miscarriage

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Chapter 1

"Calleigh's going into shock!"

Guns aren't that dangerous, but the people who handle them are... and former Homicide Detective Berkeley was definitely one of those people. CSI Duquesne had never been scared of any type of weapon. Never. That's why she had ultimately become a CSI. The baby in her womb had changed her, though. She had always been quite capable of making it on her own and she still cared for her independence, but she had been able to see the many possibilities of the situation this time, instead of only one, when Berkeley had pointed the Smith & Wesson. If Jake Berkeley genuinely shot and got the woman in advanced state of pregnancy harmed in one way or another... She had actually realized the possible consequences as well.

"Breathe, sweetheart. I'm here," Horatio said as he carefully stroked the inside of her left ankle.

The woman was lying on her back, with her knees pulled up. Not exactly the most comfortable position she could have in her situation, and it really didn't help the baby come down at all, but she had tried nearly everything... Even sitting on her hands and knees. It, however, didn't matter in which position she was; the pain still weighed her down. And in every position she had tried, Horatio had been there to support her and held her if necessary.

Horatio, who sat at the side of the woman in labor, tightly held her hand, while the other still laid across the skin on which the old Chinese character for the word 'truth' had been tattooed a year before Horatio had travelled to New Orleans, to hire the CSI with the more than obvious nickname Bullet-Girl for a job at his Crime Lab.

He had been in need of a Ballistics-expert and had wanted to hire the best. Since the lieutenant had heard of her abilities with guns all the way from New Orleans, he had decided to travel down there to check if these rumors about this beautiful girl with brains were true. They had been, and when Horatio had been convinced she had a good head on her shoulders, he hadn't doubted for a second that he wanted CSI Calleigh Duquesne to work for him. And to be quite honest, he hadn't been forced to use much effort. The young female cop had wanted to see more than just the four walls of the little gun range at the New Orleans Laboratory and had consented. She had been flattered that someone had come all the way down from Miami to find out more about her Ballistics abilities. Only four days after the redhead's visit there, the then twenty-six-year-old Calleigh had terminated her job and loft, and had moved to sunny Miami, where she had directly joined Horatio's team as the new Ballistics-expert. She had replaced the husband of former Lieutenant Megan Donner, which she actually hadn't known about until the widow had resigned.

Horatio's girlfriend had been scared for the baby's life. She really didn't care if Berkeley emotionally tortured her; if she had to endure more. Because she already did... She already endured so much at once, but she refused to admit it in her unequalled stubbornness. She preferred to suffer in silence, but their baby... If anything happened to their little one, she would go ballistic. And Horatio would as well.

'I can't lose consciousness,' Calleigh continuously thought. Though the pain ran through her abdomen and lower back, it seemed like every other part of her body was mostly numb. The stabs of pain in her abdomen only became more unbearable. They came on quickly, but didn't entirely subside before another one broke through. Horatio was practically carrying every bit of her weight and very cautiously caressing the small of her back, but the female CSI wasn't able to feel the lieutenant, whose anger had been washed away by worry since Detective Eric Delko had walked in.

Besides, Horatio didn't know what Berkeley had done… not entirely. The ex detective had been terribly rough and careless with the pregnant CSI. Berkeley had pushed her belly-first against the kitchen cupboards and had caused her abdominal trauma by doing that. Abdominal trauma in combination with an eight-month-pregnant belly, nearly always turned out to be a quite fatal business... Both Calleigh and the baby were in danger. The placenta had come loose and Calleigh would lose more and more blood... Until she or the little one would eventually die… or both.

Calleigh had already been in labor for quite some time and... the longer it took, the more dangerous it became; the more their chances to survive declined, Calleigh's as well as Horatio's daughter's, the life she had carried in her womb for eight months.

"H., we really need to get Calleigh to Dade Memorial," Eric warned as he suddenly noticed more blood penetrating Calleigh's clothes and slowly dispersing to leave another smudge on the carpet.

Eric had to look on when Calleigh's eyes narrowed, the creases on her smooth, tender features indicating that another wave of pain had emerged and then roamed across her body. CSI Duquesne tried to offer resistance and pushed. The intensity of the pain made Calleigh feel quite powerless. She leaned entirely on Horatio, who still largely carried her weight and tried to keep the woman as comfortable as possible and conscious.

"Immediately."

"Too... late..." CSI Duquesne hoarsely whispered.

Horatio sighed in intense despair and looked at Eric, who only looked back at the superior.

"Guess she doesn't need to be moved... By the way, if you would drive like you did when Ryan got that nail in his eye after his catfight with the nail gun, I guess Calleigh's never going to make it to the hospital."

"...Alexx."

Then, the guys looked at each other. Of course! Why hadn't it occurred to either of them sooner? There wasn't any more obvious possibility. Eric's mind raced at top speed. Detective Delko knew that Horatio would want to stay with the mother of the little Caine and H. would not want to leave the woman in any circumstances, because... they both knew what had happened when Horatio had left the side of the woman that he dearly loved, only a year ago... She had died slowly and in pain.

"Stay with Calleigh... I'll be right back."

Horatio nodded, while the Trace and Tires CSI stood up quickly and hurried to get Alexx on the line. Calleigh began to hyperventilate again; she did go into shock. Her mind suddenly blurred and the Ballistics-CSI connected the odd feeling with the few hours she had been dosed with cocaine on an exceptional case, while she had struggled to retrieve a bullet from a so-called tile of marble, four years ago. It had been an exceptional case, because an officer had been down.

"Don't. No, breathe..."

CSI Delko immediately looked back, but there wasn't any reason for the CSI-detective to get back to Calleigh. Calleigh didn't need the other detective. Because, the one that she desperately needed, was Horatio, and the lieutenant already supported the woman in advanced state of pregnancy. The male Delko realized that there was no one who needed him; no one waiting for him. There wasn't someone who would always keep him from the abyss, who would struggle for his love...

*MDPD... Ryan Wolfe, CSI.*

"Ryan! I need Alexx on the line, immediately."

*Why?*

Eric raised his pure brown eyes to heaven and lost the little of temper that rested. CSI Delko sighed deeply in impatience. This really wasn't the right time!

"Put her on the phone, idiot!"

/\/\/\/

Tears continued to run soundlessly down Calleigh's cheeks, while shivers roamed across her slender, petite figure. She didn't have the force to scream in pain anymore and looked up at Horatio with wide eyes. As if she wanted to convince Horatio with that one and only glance that she wasn't up to bear their baby; that it became too much for her. CSI Duquesne noticed that her own insecurity only reflected in Horatio's angelic, bright sapphire blue eyes.

Horatio, however, didn't only recognize the insecurity, but also the same hopeless little girl he had seen on the evening Calleigh had tried to cut her wrists. Like a deer, caught in the headlights. That one glance said louder than words, 'Please... Make it stop!'

He couldn't, no matter how much he really wanted to.

/\/\/\/

In the meantime, Ryan understood the seriousness of the situation and then hurried to Alexx's Medical Examiner's Office, until the line eventually cracked and Delko heard Alexx's concerned voice, *Eric? What's going on?*

"Calleigh..."


	2. ELIZABETH

Chapter 2

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Sshhhh..."

"SHUT… UP!"

Horatio's eyes widened and desperately looked at his Medical Examiner, who was trying to soften Calleigh's pain.

"I TOTALLY HATE YOU, LIEUTENANT HORATIO CAINE!"

"That's normal, Horatio... She absolutely needs you, but try to imagine how this pain tortures; she's been in labor for hours and it merely becomes even more unbearable..."

Horatio nodded in response and sighed.

/\/\/\/

They would have had twins, but one of the fetuses had died in Calleigh's womb in her third month, about a week after her abduction. She had unluckily fell down the stairs at Horatio's in a drowsy state and the lightly swollen belly she had had, had made contact with the rail quite hard, when she had tried to break the fall. Neither Calleigh or Horatio had thought it had harmed the baby, which actually were babies.

When she had stood up from the sofa to go to bed, however, a good two hours later, both had immediately noticed the little pool of blood where she had sat.

Calleigh had unexpectedly lost blood and hadn't even felt it.

/\/\/\/

Horatio held Calleigh's hand tightly. The obstetrician/gynecologist looked at him over Calleigh's stomach.

"Lieutenant Caine?"

/\/\/\/

Horatio had immediately driven CSI Duquesne to Emergency. There, a nurse had done an ultrasound and had realized that Calleigh had been carrying non-identical twins and one of the little fetuses had died. The other little one was doing fine, but losing a child is always hard, no matter in which circumstances, even when there is another child settled in your stomach. Especially when the baby is desired so strongly. The babies had each had their own amniotic sacs, which had been lucky for the baby who had survived.

The only thing you can do, is keep focusing on the other little human being. Because, if you don't, it eats you alive.

The doctors hadn't been able to do anything more, and had tried to set the couple's mind at ease, and had advised Calleigh to take a few days of rest before going back to the lab.

Both Calleigh and Horatio had been quite thrown, but knew they had to continue, for their other little baby.

It had been a daughter, and of course they had wanted to see it different, and had wanted to have their two little daughters instead of one, but it was just how it was.

They wouldn't have wanted to risk what they had so badly wanted for their unborn child, what one of their babies had already lost. Life.

They had returned to Horatio's apartment, not truly reassured, but had struggled through the night, filled with worried dreams, together, in each other's arms. At dawn, after they had enjoyed the shower together, only Horatio had eventually headed for the lab.

His girlfriend was quite addicted to her job at the lab, but if this boiled down to the destiny of their unborn child, there was no doubt she would listen to the advice of the doctors. She hadn't had the feeling as if she could really decide about the life of the innocent Caine in her showing swollen stomach. It was a real human being, that would grow up to take her own decisions soon enough.

/\/\/\/

"Can I have a word with you for a moment, outside?"

Horatio Caine looked up at the younger woman. The older man nodded. Calleigh looked at both of them, confusedly, and begged her boyfriend not to leave her side with her emerald eyes filled of tears.

"I'll be right back, sweetheart."

Calleigh searched Alexx's hand, as Horatio stood up to follow the physician, and more tears wet her cheeks, and made her carbon black mascara run out further.

As he stood up, he lovingly kissed Calleigh's forehead, and then joined the doctor outside the little delivery room.

/\/\/\/

"Lieutenant, you have likely noted the bruises on Ms. Duquesne's stomach. Do you have any idea how these contusions got there?"

"No," Horatio said, "I also wonder."

The physician nodded.

"Alright. I'm going to be honest with you. You have probably noticed that the delivery is not going like it should be. There are some complications."

"What are you trying to say, doctor?"

"I remember you have medical power of attorney for Ms. Duquesne."

Horatio just nodded. They weren't married, but Calleigh had given him her medical power of attorney when she lost the first baby, saying that if she was incapacitated or unable to make decisions, he was authorized to make them for her. Just in case.

"The chance that one of the two isn't going to make it, is big. I don't have the faintest idea how the delivery is going to turn out, but your wife isn't in all best circumstances at the moment. A caesarean section is impossible in this phase," she paused before she said what Horatio had feared for internally, "I'm afraid that, if the delivery evolves like it has done the past hours, the chances of survival of your wife will become particularly small. If the circumstances are going badly, then what do you want me to do? I really hope it won't get so far, but you have to be ready if necessary. Then to who does my priority have to go?"

Horatio thought. Calleigh would never forgive him if he would let the baby die instead of her.

"Are you telling me to choose between the woman I love, or our unborn child she's carried in her womb nearly full term?"

The obstetrician/gynecologist didn't reply.

"Doctor?"

"Yes."

Horatio sighed.

"Is there a chance they'll both survive?"

"Yes, though that chance is relatively small."

"I don't care. Our baby has already been fighting for her life like the greatest warrior I have ever known, and Calleigh's a fighter as well. If there's a chance they are going to survive it both, then I'll believe in this chance. I can't make such a horrible choice, so, please don't force me," the lieutenant said, and opened the door to get back on his girlfriend's side.

/\/\/\/

"Horatio, what's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"Don't... lie... to... me... WHOA!"

"I don't. Push, Calleigh."

"I'm pushing myself inside out!"

Horatio turned the moistened face cloth on her forehead.

"Of course, sweetheart."

"OOOH... HORATIO!"

Calleigh squeezed both of the hands she tightly held and with that shove, she finally pushed the baby through her birth canal. She was quite sure she had tore something doing that, but she wanted to be done.

"Horatio?"

CSI Duquesne panicky looked at their daughter. The little one didn't scream like other babies do when they are forced to survive outside their mothers' perfectly at temperature womb, and turned blue in scarcely one minute. Blue... Asphyxiation.

"What's going on?"

Their little daughter wasn't put onto her mother's stomach. She was... choking. Both Calleigh and Horatio looked on in horror as they saw nurses immediately trying to resuscitate the newborn. They tried to clear her airway with a finger and suction device, but it was of no use...

Caleigh was nearly crushing Horatio's hand, but he immediately forgave her, seeing why she was doing that himself. Alexx also was on the verge of crying, but she tried to be as professional as possible, which was pretty hard to do, because she was also a friend.

It didn't work, but, luckily, the hospital kept an oxygen tank in the room to use in situations like that.

She had been nearly gone, and since the doctors were quite afraid it was going to happen once more; her airway was going to block for a second time, they decided to take her to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to put a little tube in there, to prevent another crisis like that.

Calleigh leaned into the pillows and looked at her lieutenant with desperate, weary eyes. The lieutenant tenderly rubbed Calleigh's hands with his thumbs, kissed the woman's pale lips and stood up quickly.

"Don't leave our daughter..." she tiredly whispered.

"Never."

/\/\/\/

"What–?" Eric confusedly uttered as Horatio rushed by to get up with the medics on their way down the white hospital corridor.

They rushed into theatre and made sure Horatio didn't go any further than the sterile, white, double door. The lieutenant timidly witnessed how medics tried to prevent his daughter from choking, and had to put a little tube into the baby's trachea. Their little baby was only seventeen minutes old...

Eric stood by his side, and opened his mouth to say something, right when a nurse suddenly hurried down the hospital corridor, barged into theatre and murmured, "Doctor, you are needed in the O.R." The obstetrician/gynecologist, who had immediately noticed the commotion, looked up and saw the concerned look in the nurse's face and followed her to Maternity to check on Calleigh.

"No..." Horatio groaned with his hands in his carrot red hair, and thought, 'Why can't this just be over?' He had immediately understood something was going terribly wrong.

On their way back to Maternity, Eric and the lieutenant bumped onto a gurney.

"Two units of AB negative!" an emergency medic, entirely covered in of blood stained red clothes, yelled, as she quickly pushed the gurney to the E.R.

As she consequently wheeled the gurney past them, Eric recognized the girl onto it at once. H. looked up at him. "Eric, that's Elizabeth Delaney..."

The nurse looked up in surprise. Then she noticed their badges. The red haired man seemed to be a police Lieutenant and the other Hispanic one seemed to be a Detective.

"She got seriously stabbed," the emergency medic who pushed the gurney, said, as she finally drew near the E.R.

"Where?" Eric wanted to know.

"East Drive," came the reply. "She's dealt 911 herself, obviously before she fainted."

"East Drive..." Eric incredulously uttered with one shake of the head. "There are always bunches of people, and no one even called it in?" he said, not really believing his own words.

Eric looked at the superior; it seemed that something began to dawn upon the lieutenant. Delko saw with only one glance that he was putting pieces together. Until bright thoughts reminded Horatio of the situation.

"That's impossible..." H. suddenly whispered.

Eric only gazed at the superior, mystified.

"Eric," Horatio continued, "Immediately brief Natalia and Ryan, and get to East Drive as soon as possible. They would likely be at the lab by now. Process the scene and when you find blood, then collect it carefully, and run it trough CODIS as soon as possible. Mrs. Delaney had O negative. Mr. Delaney had O positive. So..."

Eric's jaw dropped.

"So it would be impossible for Mr. Delaney to have been the girl's father. Mrs. Delaney was unfaithful when her daughter was conceived, is that what you are saying?"

"Exactly."

Eric hadn't made the connection with the rhesus factors, but, luckily, Horatio had. The case had taken a new and surprising turn.

"Maybe the results are going to lead us to a possible offender. Because she's the one that survived at the pool party, and people anyhow often cut in their own palms when they stab someone, so... The results are going to enlighten us in one way or another, and maybe they will divulge us the truth; the truth of the case, and... Elizabeth. If IAB perceives any connection between the crime scene at the Delaney's and the one at East Drive, they will search for mistakes until the bottom and hold CSI responsible for the attack on the girl. Try to be one step ahead of Stetler with every move."

Eric nodded.

"Keep me posted."

"Sure, but don't leave us in ignorance either."

"I won't," Horatio replied.

/\/\/\/

The woman in advanced state of pregnancy had lost more blood than reasonable while the labor had lasted and it only kept flowing.

"Her heart rate is quickly increasing and her blood pressure is getting low."

"Has she been given Pitocin to stop the hemorrhage?"

"Yes. Five milliliters."

Alexx was having serious trouble staying professional, holding a very pale and cold hand into hers, realizing what was going to happen if the bleeding and consequent hypotension couldn't be stopped. Hysterectomy.

Even then, not one of the medics realized Calleigh endured serious abdominal trauma, which would make it impossible for them to continue abdominal massage...

They didn't, until effectively doing abdominal massage. This left Calleigh screaming in pain once more. The obstetrician/gynecologist initially thought it hurt so much because of the bruises on her stomach, still not thinking about internal trauma. Until the hemorrhage became only worse and Calleigh's screaming went through morrow and bone.

"Calleigh!" Horatio whispered, eyes wide with panic, hearing the sound of his girlfriend's horrible screaming.

/\/\/\/

Horatio hadn't had the opportunity to be with his girlfriend before she was taken to theatre for surgery, quite a while ago. The lieutenant paced up and down the corridor; it just drove Alexx mad.

"Horatio–"

The Medical Examiner was interrupted by a nurse, who came out of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Horatio stood up as the nurse came past them.

"The open-trachea surgery has fully succeeded. She's able to breathe on her own now, with a little tube, to prevent her windpipe from closing, like it did right after the umbilical cord was cut through. It won't give her any trouble, and it will be removed when we are entirely sure that she can breathe without her windpipe closing. She does have to be in the incubator on the premature ward until she's strong enough to lie on the same room as Ms. Duquesne's, though. If you would like to see your daughter, she's going to be in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for observation for twelve to twenty-four hours, before she'll be moved to the premature ward."

Horatio nodded. "Thanks."

"I'll take you to your daughter," the nurse gently told the lieutenant, and led him and the Medical Examiner who was with him, to a little white crib on the incubator; to his little daughter. He noticed the many tubes and bit his bottom lip. It hurt seeing his daughter like that. And it hurt him even more having to see her through glass, not being able to hold her.

She had such little pink toes; she was so tiny.

Meanwhile, the little one's hair had turned into a very light shade of blonde, just like her mother's. Although Horatio immediately noticed features of both, their daughter seemed to be a miniature CSI Duquesne.

"She's a very beautiful girl."

"Yes," Horatio said, moved, "True, but that's entirely Calleigh's merit."

The lieutenant looked down at their daughter and smiled. This was going to be the one they would unconditionally love, and give their lives for without hesitation.

/\/\/\/

CSI Delko looked up as Ryan walked into Trace with the results of the blood collected at East Drive.

"Eric? I have just run the blood through the database, and it confirmed to be Elizabeth Delaney's. Valera's still busy with the other samples, but... you are never going to believe what I–"

"Wolfe..." Eric growled threateningly.

"Mrs. Delaney's DNA matched, but... Mr. Delaney's didn't. CODIS, however, did come up with another match... I have run it two times, but... She's a Duquesne by blood."

"What? You sure?"

"Yes... It does seem like someone's been faithless, and careless too! Duke surely hasn't been very particular with fidelity, and went over the line!"

The comment was inappropriate, and Eric took it the wrong way. Ryan immediately noticed by the gaze on the other CSI's face, scowling at him. His grin disappeared immediately.

Delko couldn't stand being in the younger Detective's presence anymore. "Don't force your opinion on me when I don't even want to know it!" Eric snapped, leaving him alone behind in Trace, and left to enlighten Horatio on the results.

This was going to be a shock for the lieutenant. H. practically never showed the inside. Never. They always had to guess what their superior, and friend thought and felt, but... sometimes you just knew that Horatio did go through hard times, and most definitely wasn't insensitive, like some people might think.

Now, Delko realized, Horatio was going through a nightmare.

*Horatio.*

"H., I have been on the crime scene with Natalia, and retrieved the blood. Ryan's run it through CODIS and it confirmed to be Elizabeth's. As we already expected, only Mrs. Delaney's DNA matched..."

Eric didn't have the faintest idea how he had to tell Horatio that the girl whose gurney both of them had bumped in at the hospital was actually Calleigh's half-sister.

*Eric? You still there?*

"Yes," he sighed, "Mr. Delaney's didn't match, but... the DNA we have retrieved at the scene did have similarity with another DNA-profile... 49,1 entirely consisted with Kenwall Duquesne's."

*Sure?* was the only thing Horatio could utter.

"Unfortunately... You hanging in there?"

Delko knew it would save them huge trouble if the DNA hadn't partially matched with Duke's, but that was the way how it was.

Horatio sighed.

*The baby's into the incubator, but she's going to be fine, and fully able to breathe on her own. Though, Calleigh's already being closely examined for hours; they had to remove her womb and ovaries, because she lost way too much blood.*

"Horatio... Don't give up on Calleigh."

/\/\/\/

"Never."

Then, the lieutenant snapped the phone shut, sighed once again and eventually sat on Alexx's side, while they waited, and the truth penetrated. Horatio realized Calleigh meant even more than life to him and Caine would be totally lost without her.

"Calleigh's going to be fine too," Alexx said, as if just reading her superior's thoughts, and empathetically patted Horatio on the shoulder.

They sat there like that for another two hours, without saying a word, until a quite old nurse suddenly entered the deathly quiet room.

"Lieutenant Caine?"

"Yes," Horatio quietly replied. The lieutenant looked up at the nurse and tried to derive something from the deeply lined face.

"We have successfully removed Ms. Duquesne's womb and ovaries," the nurse just paused, "She'll have to stay in hospital for at least ten days. Minimum. She's in ICU, if you would like to see her."

"Thanks."

Alexx had heard everything the nurse had said, and she looked up at Horatio, who quietly walked out of the door of the room where they had sat for about two hours, down the hospital corridor, to ICU, without saying a word.

As Lieutenant Caine entered the ICU, he immediately noticed Calleigh lying in the nearest hospital bed, propped up by pillows, and to his surprise, awake. A smile tugged at the corners of the older man.

"Hi," he said ever so softly.

Calleigh lightly whimpered. She tried to get up, but it terribly hurt, so she decided not to try any more. If she had been able, she would have just plucked the IV from her artery and stood up. She would have gone to Neonatology. She wanted to see their daughter so badly.

Horatio sat on the edge of her bed, as tears covered her pure green eyes.

"Sshhhh..."

Calleigh laboriously swallowed and whispered, "...daughter?"

Horatio just opened his mouth to reply, to assure her their baby-girl was doing fine, when Calleigh's eyes widened and the little room got filled with a terrible noise. CSI Duquesne's body tensed up, and H. consequently noticed how Calleigh's toes contracted.

Then, half a dozen of nurses rushed in.

"There's no pulse," one of them stated, as Horatio was gently pushed out of the room by two of the nurses. He looked through the window of the ICU in horror. What was going on with her? Four electric shocks seemed to rouse Calleigh back, to life, but the woman's breath then slightly caught, and then... no more. Everyone just stood there for a moment, until one of the nurses joined Horatio on the hospital corridor.

"Ms. Duquesne's had an anaphylactic shock," one of the nurses who had pushed him out of the room said, "Her IV seemed to have caused this allergic reaction with..."

"Calleigh actually had to take meds to control gestational diabetes."

"That's likely the cause of this anaphylactic shock. Some meds don't actually go together with some IVs, and cause allergic reaction if combined. Rarely, it can lead to shock, but... that's what happened to Ms. Duquesne. I'm sorry. She's gone into a coma, Lieutenant."


End file.
